“Anyway, I thought if she pulled from one side and I pushed from the other, we could get it open… and we did.”
“However, the doorknob swung back so fast it whacked me right in the eye.”
“And right onto the floor.”
“Thank you for that visual, goober. I bet theyreallyneeded it.”
“I didn’t think it was that bad, but I wanted to bring her to the hospital just in case there was something internal I couldn’t see. And between her apartment and the hospital, her eye swelled up like a… well, like that.”
“You’re lucky you’re still alive.” Ember crosses her arms. “If that was me, you wouldn’t be.”
“I love you, too, baby.” He presses his lips against the top of Ember’s head. “I promise I’ll actually fix that door ASAP, okay?”
“Sure. I’ve been hearing that for months,” Brinley sighs. “Anyway, enough about me and this monstrosity on my face. What’s going on with you?”
Brinley’s attention shifts to me, but I can’t help but watch Declan as he pulls a chair over and sits at the open end of the booth.
“Honestly, it doesn’t matter right now. I think what we really need to discuss is how you’re going to get Declan and Jaxon back for what they did to your eye.”
You don’t want kids.” Brinley sits down next to me on my couch, handing me a bucket of popcorn. “You’ve never wanted kids.”
“I know, but he didn’t know that. I mean, you and I have talked about it because that’s just something girls talk about, but I never thought about needing to have that conversation with him.”
“Until it came up.”
“Exactly, until it came up.”
It’s been eating me alive since I watched Fletcher with Theo. The more time we spent at their place, the worse I felt.
“But he knows now, right?”
“He does,” I sigh. “But Brin, I saw him with his nephew; there was a love in his eyes I don’t even think he has when he’s looking at me.”
“So, what do you want to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“Have you talked to him about this?” She reaches into the bucket of popcorn and throws a handful in her mouth.
“Not really. I just asked him if he wanted kids, and he told me he wants me, which I took as his way of saying that if I don’t want kids, he’s willing to give that up, so we stay together.”
“Then I suggest you sit down and have a real conversation with him.” She reaches out, grabs my arm, and gives it a squeeze. “It’s Fletcher; you can tell him how you’re feeling. Share your concerns. He’ll listen, you know that.”
“I know.” I run my hand through my hair, taking a breath to hold in tears. “But what if… what if this changes things?”
“How do you mean?”
“What do I do if I can see in his eyes that hewantsa family. Hewantskids. But he’s telling me he doesn’t, so he doesn’t lose me?”
“I don’t know, Tate. I wish I did.”
“Yeah. Thanks for your help. I wanted to talk to all of you about it, but then Declan came to the diner, and obviously, no one knows about me and Fletcher—”
“You mean besides your sister, her fiancé, Fletcher’s family, Jeremy, me, and the girls?”
“Okay, so when you put it like that, a lot of people actually know.”
Brin chuckles. “I know what you mean, though. That wasn’t the time or place for Declan to find out, so sharing your reservations about your relationship wasn’t really something you wanted to do.”
